Sparring with shinpads/headguards, with or without?

Alright,new to forum so sorry if this has been asked:
I just wanted to see what peoples views were on when,if ever they use headguards and also shinpads.Obviously a lot of people dont bother with headguards a lot of the time (me included), but wanted to ask what the general view is.
Thanks guys

There are pros and cons to wearing a headguard. but there are also pros and cons to taking that body kick too!

Safety first, always! You would be gutted if your sparring partner was a clumsy bastard and you have a clash of heads and split that eyebrow of yours open, meaning you cant play for a couple of weeks, There is no shame in wearing a headguard either!

When sparring, you have to not only think about your own safety, but that of your partner too....like sex, always use a condom. Coz thrush sucks....and AIDS kills. So respect yourself and others.

Above say always shinguards, but what type? you have MMA shin guards, which are Thinner, some are awful with the cheap foam and cotton which really dont offer suffcient protection for yourself or partner, or others like Caged Steel or Hayabusa, Rogue etc.

Then you have striking shinguards, like Rival, Hayabusa, Topking etc.

More importantly, rather than shins and headguards, what gloves are you using? MMA 4oz? 7/8oz? 10oz boxing 16 oz boxing?

I can only assume your sparring in MMA?

How are your takedowns, you have enough faith not to eat/headbutt a knee on the way in? confident enough to get a sly kick in the chops as you come in to shoot?

I don't believe in belts. There should be no ranking system for toughness.

i think Gary Turner did a study on wearing head guards when sparring , it wasnt positive .. might be worth looking into that.
In my opion they just make your head a bigger target , they might stop cuts but they wont stop the brain from getting smashed about inside your head.

I dont like head guards and I now have a problem with the inner that causes vertigo and its been mentioned that its because I never used a head guard